The historical past of Old Time Radio

The phrase “Old Time Radio” means entertainment programs which were broadcast towards the public from the early 1920s for the early 1960s. At first, most radio programs emulated the vaudeville acts that were the mainstay of public amusement before radio. Comics and singers ruled the airwaves! On top of that, you no longer were required to leave your home to enjoy their talents! Eventually, however, audiences matured as well as other kinds of programs were put into radio stations schedule. Drama series became very popular including shows about doctors, soap operas, as well as movie scripts that have been adapted for radio. Action series brought cops, robbers, private detectives, and westerns in to the home! Fantasy series thrilled audiences with popular characters including Superman and the Green Hornet! Horror fans got their share of ghosts, vampires, and werewolves. Those that craved sci-fi got their weekly probing for tales into the future, space travel, and quest for the unknown. Game shows like “You Bet Your Life” gave the average joe some slack from everyday routine! Radio

The initial commercial radio station within the U.S. (KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) began occasional broadcasting in 1920. By 1922, the 1st regularly broadcast old time radio shows had begun. Up until the late 1920s, musical programs were most popular with shows highlighting opera, big bands, jazz, classical, and popular music.

From the 1930s, the initial daytime series appeared featuring romance and also other subject theme that attracted the typical American housewife. The majority of those programs were sponsored by soap products and that is where the term “Soap Opera” originated. Radio shows like “The Cisco Kid” and “Captain Midnight” were broadcast in the afternoons for that entertainment of teenagers while they returned home from practice. Comedy series did start to appear such as “George Burns and Gracie Allen Show” as well as the “Jack Benny Show” which both began in 1932. “Amos ‘N Andy” actually hit the airwaves in 1928! Then noisy . 1940s, an almost never-ending list of comedy programs joined those pioneers and comedy shows took over as most prolific genre from the end of Old Time Radio.

By 1947, 82% of men and women in the U.S. followed radio stations frequently. The existing Time Radio shows just weren’t like most mp3 audio books nowadays where someone having a pleasant voice reads you a book. Old Time Radio shows were productions similar to the tv programs these days. There have been sound effects, multiple actors in multiple roles, and first rate scripts! Many people today are shocked at just how entertaining they may be after they hear their first Old Time Radio program. Having less video can in fact be a plus! Your brain often imagines the characters and scenery as good as seeing those activities with a television screen.

Most Old Time Radio Shows were aired live up to the late 1940s. Therefore, the most popular shows had to be performed twice as a result of time distinction between the east coast as well as the west coast. Most of those programs are lost to all of us today because they were generally not recorded. You can find exceptions where and advertiser wanted copies of these programs or for some programs that aired in syndication. Thankfully, by the early 1950s, many programs were broadcast continue to exist the new england and recorded later on broadcast about the west coast. A surprisingly large number of those recordings are still in existence today thanks, mostly, to collector/hobbyists who acquired them throughout the years. Because of their age, almost all of those can be purchased free of charge online or at suprisingly low cost on cd (in mp3 format) from numerous vendors.

Inside the mid 1950s TV was becoming the king of entertainment and radio was transforming into a mostly musical format. There were shows, however, that continued for a couple of more many some of them even aired concurrently like a TV version of the identical program. Radio